Caproni Ca.164

Ca.164
General information
Type	Military trainer aircraft
Manufacturer	Caproni
Designer	Raffaele Conflenti
Primary users	Regia Aeronautica Armée de l'Air
Number built	280 + 1 prototype [1]
History
First flight	1938

The Caproni Ca.164 was a training biplane produced in Italy shortly prior to World War II. It was a largely conventional biplane intended as a follow-on to the Ca.100 and sharing that aircraft's layout with a slightly smaller upper wing.

Development

The prototype was designated the Ca.163, built by Caproni Taliedo and first flown on 17 November 1938. It had a steel tube fuselage, wooden wings, and fabric covering. ^[2] Flight testing revealed some poor handling characteristics, however, which made it completely unsuitable for its intended role. Nevertheless, the Regia Aeronautica acquired some 280 examples of the Ca.164 to use in liaison roles within bomber units. Some of these were pressed into use for tactical reconnaissance during the Croatian campaign. The Armée de l'Air also purchased 100 aircraft.

Operators

  France

• Armee de l'Air

Kingdom of Italy

• Regia Aeronautica
• Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force

  Italy

• Italian Air Force ^[3]

Surviving aircraft

No examples of the Ca.164 survive, but the prototype Ca.163 is on display at the Gianni Caproni Museum of Aeronautics, Trento Airport, Italy. As a private venture, it was originally not registered, but it was later registered I-WEST.

Specifications

The prototype Ca.163 on display at the Caproni Museum, Trento

Data fromDimensione Cielo: Aerei italiani nella 2^a guerra mondiale: Vol. 10 Scuola-Collegamento ^[4]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2, pilot and instructor
• Length: 7.74 m (25 ft 5 in)
• Wingspan: 9.45 m (31 ft 0 in)
• Height: 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)
• Wing area: 22.4 m² (241 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 780 kg (1,720 lb)
• Gross weight: 1,040 kg (2,293 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 135 L (30 imp gal; 36 US gal)
• Powerplant: 1 × Alfa Romeo 115 bis air-cooled 6-cylinder inline engine, 138 kW (185 hp)
• Propellers: 2-bladed wooden fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 217 km/h (135 mph, 117 kn)
• Cruise speed: 185 km/h (115 mph, 100 kn) ^[5]
• Stall speed: 85 km/h (53 mph, 46 kn)
• Range: 550 km (340 mi, 300 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 4,250 m (13,940 ft)
• Time to altitude: 15 minutes 56 s to 3,000 m (9,800 ft)

See also

Related lists

• List of aircraft of World War II
• List of Interwar military aircraft

References

1. "Caproni Ca.164". Archived from the original on 2017-10-02. Retrieved 2014-11-26.
2. "Caproni Ca.163". Museo dell'Aeronautica Gianni Caproni. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
3. aeroflight
4. Brotzu & Cosolo 1977, p. 97.
5. Domange 1999, p. 22.

Bibliography

• Brotzu, E.; Cosolo, G. (1977). Dimensione Cielo: Aerei italiani nella 2^a guerra mondiale: Vol. 10 Scuola-Collegamento (in Italian). Rome: Edizioni Dell'Ateneo & Bizzarri.
• Domange, Yves (February 1999). "Quand les démocraties occidentales achetaient des avions dans l'Italie fasciste... (1^ère partie: la France)" [When Western Democracies Bought Their Aircraft from Fascist Italy... (Part 1: France)]. Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in French). No. 71. pp. 16–24. ISSN   1243-8650.
• Morareau, Lucien (March 1999). "Courrier des Lecteurs" [Readers' Letters]. Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in French). No. 72. p. 3. ISSN   1243-8650.
• Němeček, Václav (1979). "Letadla 39–45: Caproni-Predappio Ca-164". Letectví + Kosmonautika (in Czech). No. 11. p. 430.
• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 236.
• World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 891 Sheet 10.